Electric coffee percolator



pel

Patented 'Deco lll, 1923.,4

entren stares PATENT @FFHCEO FRANK IF. FOBSHEE, F lLllNT, MICEXGAN, ASSEGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE MESTRE@ PRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORATIN 0F MICHIGAN.

nnncrnrc corran rnnconnron.

Application lel December 17, 1921. Serial No. 522,967.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, FRANK F. Fonsrmn, a citizen of thev United States, and a resident of Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michiganyhave invented a new and useful lmprovement in Electric Codec/Percolators, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to electrically heated apparatus and particularly to electric liuid heaters, and it has for its object to provide a relatively simple electric'percolator of novel construction. y

My invention embodies an outer fluid container of usual form having a material container located in the top thereof and an inner member of inverted cup or tubular shape releasably secured to the bottom of the outer container and having a plurality of relatively small openings adjacent the bottom thereof. An electrical heating element is mounted beneath the bottom of the outer container, and a thermal controlling means is located in heat-receiving relation thereto. 1

The single figure of 'the drawing is a view, in vertical cross section, of a device embodying -my invention.

An outer container 10, which may be of any suitable or desired construction as to material and shape, is provided with a handle member 11 and a base member'12 suitably secured thereto. A material container 13, which is adapted to contain granular or comminuted material, such as codec, is located in the top of the outer container and is provided with a plurality ot openings therein to permit of the duid owing therethrough, or the entire member may be of a foraminous material. A cover member le for the top of the container may be -provided with a glass dome to permit of observing the operation oi the percolator.

The bottom of the container I1() is provided with a substantiall'v centrally located circular depresion -16. inner container 17 of substantiall inverted tubular or cup shape is releasab'y secured to the bottomV with its lower end located in the depress1on 16, beingmaintained in its normal operative position by suitable means, such as a bayonet lock 18. A. .pluralit of relatively small openings 19 is provi ed in the container 17 adjacent the bottom of the relation to the depression 16 and, as illus-- trated, may comprise a suitable refractory plate or base 21, having a plurality uit grooves 22 therein, in which may loeV located a suitable resistor member 23. A. thermal controlling means is located immediately beneath the heating element/2O and may comprise a suitable thermostatic strip 24: insulatedly mounted on thebase 12 and providedwith suitable contact members. The thermostatic strip 24 is in heat-receiving relation to the heating element and is connected in series-circuit relation to the resistor 23 and vso adjusted that, when the temperature oi the thermostatic strip and, therefore exceeds the boiling point of the duid in the outer container, the thermostat interrupts the circuit through the heatin element.

While ll have illustrated a speci c embodi- ,ment oi a heating element 20, ll desire 1t -to l may, in turn, be located in a suitable tubular guard member 27 secured to, and projecti through, the base 12 to permit of mounting therein a contact plug (not shown) for energizing the heating element 20s whenever desired.

L To operate the device, the inverted cupshaped member 17 is placed in its proper operative position, substantially als illustrated in the drawing, and the outer container is filled with water to substantially the line ll--ll, after which the material container 13 and the cover member 14 may be placed in their proper operative positions. rlhe water level in the inverted cup-shaped container 17 will be substantiall that indicated loy the line lll--lll of t e drawing and, if the hea/ting element 20 is energized, the small quantity of fluid contained in the inner container 17 and in the depression 16 will be heated and a portion thereof va rized'after a predetermined length of time. The air which is entrapped in the member ot the heating element proper,

17 is, of course, also heated. The heated air and the vapor'- finally cause sufficient yie lpressure in the inverted inner container to force some ofthe fluid out and through the opening 19, carrying with it a portion of the entrapped air. As this disturbs the uid located i-n the container immediately adjacent-to the outer surface of the inner container and permits cooler fluid to come in contact with the outer wall of the container, the vapor remaining in the inverted inner container is condensed, thereby causing a partial vacuum `which results in refilling the bottom of the inverted container with fluid to a higher level than that indicated by the line HMH in the drawing. The, level of the fluid in the outer container is, of course, also correspondingly lower.

' 2d As the amount of fluid in the bottoni of the lout with the vapor and the fluid that has pleted.

been forced out through the openings 19. This result is attained when the temperature of substantially all of the fluid in the percolator has been raised to the boiling point which, ofcoursaprevents a rccondensation of the vaporcontained inthe inverted inner container. At this time', the cofl'ee or other material contained in the material containerl 13 will belocated in substantially boiling fluid to thereby extract the'essence thereof. llhe temperature of the heating Ielement 2() rises rapidi' and, as the thermostatic means 2t is so ladjusted that it will interrupt the energizing circuit through the heating ele- 'inent at a temperature slightly above the boiling int of thefluid, it interrupts the circuit t rough the heating element, thus permitting thev fluid located in the outer container and the vapor located in the inner inverted container to copl, whereby the va'por is condensed and the fluid is permitted to flow into the inner container 17, thus reducing the level to a height below the bottom of the material container 13, and-the' operation It may be noted that the device embodying nay-invention provides a relatively simple percolator comprising relatively few parts whichoperate according to a novel principle and, which provides a thermally controlled means for automatically interrupting the energization of the heating eleof percolation is com-l atrae@ Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, land l desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims. f

l claim as my invention: i

1. ln a percolator, in combination, an outer fluid container, an electric heating element, an inner container in said outer container having a closed upper end and having provisionA adjacent its lower end for permitting a relatively small quantity of fluid to enter initially from said outer container to be volatilized by said heating element and to be condensed by the surrounding fluid.

2. lin 'a percolator,` in combination, a-n

outer fluid con-tainer, an inverted inner container inside of said outer container, 'embodying means in said inner container for permitting a relatively small quantity of uid to enter initially from said outer container, and an electric heating means for vaporizing a part of said quantity of fluid in said inner container and for causing oonstantly increasing quanti-ties of fluid to be expelled from, and drawn into, said inner container, 'l

3. ln a percolator, in combination, an outer fluid container, an inverted inner container inside of said outer container, embodying means in said inner container for permitting a relatively small quantity of fluid to enter initially from said outer container, and an electric heating means for vaporizing a pant of said quantity of fluid in said inner` container and for causing fluid to How recurrently between said inner container and'said vouter container. 4 d. vlln a percolator, in. combination, 4an outer fluid lcontainen'an inner closed container secured to -the 'bottom of said outer container and having a plurality of openings therein adjacent the bottom of the outer container, and an electric heating elementv in heat-conducting relation .to said inner lill@ the fliiid located in said inner container `to 'thereby force out a portion of said air and fluid from said inner container and to permit the ,recurrent entrance into, and expulsion from, said inner container, oi' increasing v uantities of fluid. i

5. i n a percolator, in combination, an outer fluid container, a material-containing basketloca-ted in the top of said fluid container, an electric heating element located at the bottom of said fluid'container, and hollow means located within said 'fluid container and' thermally controlled by said heating ele-ment for causing fluid to flow emanen recurrently between said louter container and said hollow means.

6. ln af percolator, in combination, an' outer fluid container, a material-containing' lbasket located in the top of said Huid oontainer, an electric heating element located at the bottom of said fluid container, and hollow means located within said fluid container and thermally controlled' by saidr heating element for causing fluid to low recurrently between said outer container and said hollow means until substantially all ol said fluid has been heated to itsv boiling point.A

7. In a percolator, in combination, an outer fluid container, a material-contaimng basket loca-ted in the top of said fluid foontainer, an electric heating element located at the bottom of said fluid container, hollow means located within said fluid container and thermally controlled by said heating element for .causing Huid to flow recurrently between said outer container and said hollow means until substantially all of said fluid has been heated to its boiling point and thermostat-ic means for de-energzing said heatin means when substantially all of said point.

8. ln a pencolator, in combination, an outer fluid ntainer, amaterial-containing basket in the upper end of said container, an electric heating element located at the bottom of said container, a hollow means located in said outer container, secured to the bottom thereof and thermally controlled by said heating element, embodying means in said hollow means for causing fluid to flow recurrently between said outer container and said hollow means when said heating element is energized, and thermostatic means for cle-energizing said heatin means when substantially all of said lui uid has been heated to its boiling has been heated to its boiling point where- 'by luid lls substantially all of said hollow means and is operatively disengaged from said material-containing basket.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd day of Nov. 1921. Y

' FRANK n. ronsnnn. f 

